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Monthly Archives: January 2015

Bowman Ales – Quiver Bitter 4.5%

Bowman Ales – Quiver Bitter

Quiver Bitter is golden ale from the Bowman Ales Brewery, a micro-brewery in Droxford Hampshire. It has sweet floral fruity and ‘mown grass’ aromas and has a sweet warming malt taste, with a hop bitter follow-on.

This is a very good bitter, well worth finding. Described with an aroma of fresh moan grass. The bitter finish has just a hint of grapefruit pith, coming from the addition of American hops used but certainly not giving an excessive grapefruit taste.

Butcombe Brewery – Christmas Steps 4.2%

Butcombe Brewery – Christmas Steps
This Christmas ale from one of our local breweries, is named after a narrow stepped street in Bristol. It is a darker amber ale with small sweet aroma, with a hint of liquorice. The taste is complex of malt and hop, developing slight toffee and spice notes, with a strong hop finish.

This is a good winter ale but needs more spice and fruitiness to be a good Christmas ale. An ale worth giving a try.

Box Steam Brewery – Brewers’ Blizzard 4.5%

Box Clever Ales – Brewers’ Blizzard
This ale is from the Box Steam Brewery in Holt Wiltshire and labelled under its Box Clever Ales. It is an amber ale with a spicy aroma, with a good malty sweet and bitter taste and warming spice notes.

This is. Really good Christmas ale, to look forward to during he festive season.

Hardy & Hanson’s – Captain Christmas 4.2%

Hardy & Hanson – Captain Christmas
A copper coloured ale with a cream coloured head. It has a malty chocolate aroma and a sweet fruitcake taste, with hints of spice, leading to a strong hop bitterness.

This is a good Christmas ale suited to the season and was the first Christmas ale tried for Christmas 2014.

The Hardy and Hanson’s Brewery Kimberley was the largest in Nottingham. Originally two separate breweries until 1930, when pressure and water resources led to a merger. The Brewers Bridge over Hardy Street joined the two parts of the Brewery. In 2006 the company was purchased by Greene King, which now uses the Hardy & Hanson’s name.

Quantock Ales – Rocking Robin 3.8%

Quantock Ales – Rocking Robin
This is the Christmas ale from Quantock Ales in Wellington Somerset. It is an amber ale, with a dried fruit aroma, a hoppy taste and a grapefruit bitterness. This is a good ale well worth trying but needs slightly more sweetness and spiciness to be a good Christmas Ale.